György Kurtág: Movement for Viola & Orchestra - Kim Kashkashian

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Kim Kashkashian's interpretation of three Hungarian composers' works for viola is peerless. The viola is a perplexing, complex instrument that always seems out of time, almost out of place with the modern repertory. But the melancholy and directness of the instrument, especially in the hands of such an accomplished performer as Kashkashian, make for a listening experience that is profoundly contemporary. Bartók's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra was one of the last pieces the composer wrote. In a sense unfinished, fragmentary (Paul Griffiths, in his liner notes, says the piece is "partial, imminent, not yet arrived"), the work is balanced by Eötvös's Replica, written especially for Kashkashian and recorded here for the first time. Kurtág's Movement, his graduation exercise presented to the Liszt Academy in Budapest in 1954, has a clear Bartókian hue, but also shows the influence of Brahms and Haydn. While it is a youthful work, it is no minor piece and, especially in the context of Kurtág's usual miniatures, is a fascinating listening experience. Eötvös shows himself to be a wonderful director, drawing from Kashkashian a precision and subtlety that the masculine viola sometimes lacks, while encouraging the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra to support the fullest exploration of the pieces in hand. This is a remarkable, beautiful, and haunting recording. --Mark Thwaite

Tracks:

Concerto For Viola And Orchestra: Allegro moderato
Concerto For Viola And Orchestra: Lento
Concerto For Viola And Orchestra: (Finale) Allegretto
Two Pictures Sz 46: In Full Flower: Poco adagio
Two Pictures Sz 46: Village Dance: Allegro
Concerto For Viola And Orchestra, Sz 120: Moderato
Concerto For Viola And Orchestra, Sz 120: Adagio religioso
Concerto For Viola And Orchestra, Sz 120: Allegro vivace
Rhapsody For Viola And Orchestra

Amazon.com

Bartók did not live to finish his Viola Concerto, and Tibor Serly's completion from Bartók's sketches hasn't satisfied anyone except violists hungry for repertoire. This disc offers the Serly version and a new completion by the composer's son Peter and violist Paul Neubauer. Neither edition ranks among Bartók's masterpieces, although the new version seems a bit more convincing. The most striking element about this disc is the thrillingly dark tone and passionate playing of Xiao, a superb Chinese musician who now teaches in Michigan. Janós Kovacs and the orchestra also sound splendid. The Serly piece is just a brief suite of transcriptions from Bartók's For Children, but Bartók's Two Pictures is marvellous music. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Everybody is fascinated by a "posthumous work".......2007-06-30

If you compare the Bartok Viola Concerto with other candidates in the same league such as Schubert No 8 , Bruckner No 9 or most famous of all, the Mozart Requiem, then it clearly doesn't quite make it. The Concerto for Orchestra and even the third Piano Concerto are better pieces. This is well played, however, and I will let the musicologists argue about which version is better.

Polished performance of a Bartok masterpiece.......2004-06-26

I am really not concerned about the controversy surrounding the Bartok viola concerto. It is simply a splendid work, with many passages marked undeniably with Bartok's stamp. (Don't listen to the editorial reviewer; it's a great piece!) It is wonderful to have both the Serly and the Peter Bartok/Paul Neubauer versions together for comparison. If anything, I like the newer version better: it has many felicitous examples of orchestration and adds fewer embellishments to the original Bartok sketches. Of course, had Bartok lived, he might have added more to his concerto (for instance, the slow movement as it stands seems rather brief - though I think it works just fine). But perhaps it is better simply to stick with what Bartok wrote and leave it at that. The performances are ideal: the violist's tone is firm and rich throughout, and the orchestra provides supple dialogue with the soloist. My only complaint is that the last movement could have gone a bit faster (when I played it in my college orchestra, the soloist really went like a whirlwind). Were they perhaps worried that this movement too would sound too short? But no matter. Naxos continues to astound with its fine issues at extraordinarily low prices. I encourage music lovers to grab the best Naxos CD's (including this one) with avidity.

Magnificent!.......2004-06-26

I am really not concerned about the controversy surrounding the Bartok viola concerto. It is simply a splendid work, with many passages marked undeniably with Bartok's stamp. (Don't listen to the editorial reviewer; it's a great piece!) It is wonderful to have both the Serly and the Peter Bartok/Paul Neubauer versions together for comparison. If anything, I like the newer version better: it has many felicitous examples of orchestration and adds fewer embellishments to the original Bartok sketches. Of course, had Bartok lived, he might have added more to his concerto (for instance, the slow movement as it stands seems rather brief - though I think it works just fine). But perhaps it is better simply to stick with what he wrote and leave it at that. The performances are ideal: the violist's tone is firm and rich throughout, and the orchestra provides supple dialogue with the soloist. My only complaint is that the last movement could have gone a bit faster (when I played it in my college orchestra, the soloist really went like a whirlwind). Were they perhaps worried that this movement too would sound too short? But no matter. Naxos continues to astound with its fine issues at extraordinarily low prices. I advise music lovers to grab the best Naxos CD's (including this one) with avidity.

Great Performances.......2004-03-06

This disc contains excellent recordings of
"Two Pictures" and the "Viola Concerto".

I definitely prefer the version with Tibor Serly's orchestration.

Though this concerto is not in the same league as Bartok's two brilliant violin concertos, I'd say the finale qualifies as a masterpiece.

Bartok was dying when he composed the "Viola Concerto". It sounds as if his spirit were being called home to Transylvania.

2 versions of unfinished concerto performed together........1998-10-04

The viola concerto, unfinished at Bartók's death, was completed by violist/composer/conductor Tibor Serly in the version familiar to listeners. Critics and musicologists have frequently criticized Serly's version, and Bartók's son supervised a new completion of the concerto, published in 1995. The casual listener will hear little difference in the 2 versions performed together here by Hong-Mei Xiao, though aficionados will enjoy the chance to compare them (Bartók's final version surely would have been better than either). Her tone is bright and violin-like, lacking some of the mellow darkness of Lars Anders Tomter's performance of the Walton "Viola Concerto" on Naxos 8.553402. She performs with virtuosity, and the Hungarian orchestra is steeped in Bartók's idiom. His "Two Pictures" are early works, showing promise, but not up to the standards of his mature orchestral masterpieces. Serly's own "Rhapsody," composed while he was revising the concerto, is a harmless virtuoso showpiece, reminiscent of Georges Enescu. As always, Naxos provides a full disc of well-recorded, polished performances by lesser-known musicians at an bargain price.

Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin

Average customer rating:

As good as it gets

Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin , Bela Bartok , Pierre Boulez , Antal Dorati , New Philharmonia Orchestra , and BBC Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000CE7FG
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Tracks:

I: Andante Sostenuto
II: Allegro Giocoso
I: Moderato
II: Adagio Religioso
III: Allegro Vivace
I: Lassu: Moderato/II: Friss: Allegretto Moderato
I: Lassu: Moderato/II: Friss: Allegretto Moderato

Tracks:

I: Allegro Non Troppo
II: Andante Tranquillo
III: Allegro Molto
28. Sorrow
31. New Year's Greeting 4
33. Harvest Song
36. Bagpipes
41. Scherzo
42. Arabian Song
I: Tempo Di Ciaccona
II: Fuga: Risoluto, Non Troppo Vivo
III: Melodia: Adagio
IV: Presto

Customer Reviews:

As good as it gets.......2007-02-07

First you have to like Bartok. Not everyone enjoys the 20th century extention of classical music. If you do like Bartok and want to hear his violin compositions - then buy this CD and hear a true master at work.

Average customer rating:

Stephen Albert's Concerto for Cello is a masterpiece
Good Recording
Yo-Yo Ma In "New York," Or Is It Baltimore?
Bad Recording

The New York Album

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Solo
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Paris La Belle Époque
Brahms, Mendelssohn: Cello Sonatas

ASIN: B0000029K5
Release Date: 1994-09-20

Tracks:

Concerto For Cello And Orchestra: I. Audacemente ma sostenuto
Concerto For Cello And Orchestra: II. Con brio - instante
Concerto For Cello And Orchestra: III. Larghetto
Concerto For Cello And Orchestra: IV: Con moto - con imminenzo inquiento
Concerto for Viola* and Orchestra (Op. Posth.): I. Moderato
Concerto for Viola* and Orchestra (Op. Posth.): II. Adagio religioso
Concerto for Viola* and Orchestra (Po. Posth.): III. Allegro vivace
Hebraic Raphsody for Cello and Orchestra: Schelomo (Solomon)

Customer Reviews:

Stephen Albert's Concerto for Cello is a masterpiece.......2001-12-10

I have been a fan of Stephen Albert's music ever since I heard his Riverun Symphony. The cello concerto, in this modest writer's opinion, is one of the best late works for cello of the 1990's, or for that matter 20th century. Yo-Yo Ma plays with a soulful intensity that is matched in time by David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony. A note to all cellists: please learn Albert's concerto, it deserves to be performed again and again. When I bought this disk, I knew the combination of Ma and Zinman would not disappoint me and I am right. This disk should be a memorial for Albert who died in a very tragic car accident on Cape Cod in 1992. It is a true tragedy in every sense of the word. Stephen Albert was an up and coming composer at the time of his death. The nation lost a potentially great artist. The other works on the disk, the Bartok Concerto for Viola transcribed for cello and Ernest Bloch's Sholomo are showcases for the cello that show off Ma's incredible skill. As for the sound of the disk, it does sound at times cramped but Ma's playing and the leadership of Zinman makes up for the discrepancy; marvelous performances all around.

Good Recording.......2001-09-02

I have to agree that there is nothing wrong with the sound. On the contrary, this is a great quality recording and each of the pieces is worth the price of the disc. The cello sound is crystal clear. I still have no favorites, well maybe the Bartok piece but it is difficult to say depending on one's mood. Each piece is interesting and captivating enough to make you listen to it more than once. I would like to listen to more of Stephen Albert's works and to recommend the Rouse's Cello Concerto with Yo Yo Ma and Zinman.

Yo-Yo Ma In "New York," Or Is It Baltimore?.......2000-09-26

"The New York Album" by Yo-Yo Ma is an outstanding recording of three 20th century compositions for cello. However, the disc should be titled "The Baltimore Album," as they were made with the Baltimore Symphony (with David Zinman conducting) and were recorded in Charm City -- I guess Baltimore doesn't have the cachet of the Big Apple. The reason for the CD's title is that the three composers featured here and Ma himself were either born or have lived in New York.

First, I'd like to address the concerns of the previous reviewer. This individual must not be familiar with the dynamics of classical music. Sure there are quiet parts featuring only Ma and louder moments when the whole orchestra joins in, but it is no different than any other recording. They may be more pronounced than usual in the Albert composition (for effect), but it never borders on poor sound quality. This is a digital recording -- it is state of the art and it sounds wonderful. I don't think Sony Classical or Yo-Yo Ma would have their names associated with such an inferior product. Maybe he/she needs a new stereo?

With that said, let's get to disc's material. "The New York Album" begins with Stephen Albert's haunting and expressive Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. This is the world premiere recording of this piece, commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Unfortunately, it is also one of Albert's final pieces as he sadly died in a car accident in 1992, before this CD was released. Bartok's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra is next, and it gives us the opportunity to hear Ma on alto violin, a vertical viola. (Like the Third Piano Concerto, the Viola Concerto was unfinished at the time of Bartok's death, and the task of deciphering the sketches and completing the work for both was entrusted to Tibor Serly.) The final composition is a rhapsody for cello entitled "Schelomo" by Ernest Bloch. I was not familiar with the composer prior to purchasing this disc, and his work is a soulful, often tumultuous piece that fits perfectly in terms of style with the other material despite the fact that it was authored almost 30 and 70 years earlier than the Bartok and Albert respectively.

In all, this is another wonderful outing for Yo-Yo Ma, and fans of his work should not hesitate to go to "New York."

Bad Recording.......2000-04-03

I had a hard time listening to this CD simply because I couldn't hear parts of it. It sounded like it was recorded live in a hollow concert hall with bad acoustics. The quiet parts would barely come through my speakers...so I would go to turn it up. Then when the rest of the orchestra joined I was blasted out. I was so annoyed at having to adjust the volume for many of the tracts. I wasted my money when buying this one.

Average customer rating:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations

The Violinist
Yehudi Menuhin , Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Ludwig van Beethoven , Alban Berg , Johannes Brahms , Max Bruch , Arcangelo Corelli , Edward Elgar , Franz Joseph Haydn , Edouard Lalo , Felix Mendelssohn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Carl Nielsen , Niccolo Paganini , Camille Saint-Saens , Jean Sibelius , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Michael Tippett , Henri Vieuxtemps , Antonio Vivaldi , William Walton , Alberto Lysy , Anatole Fistoulari , Antal Dorati , Anthony Bernard , Gaston Poulet , John Pitchard , Mogens Woldike , Pierre Boulez , and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Schubert: 8 Symphonies

ASIN: B0000BWTKJ
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Affettuoso
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Assai
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Assai
I. Vivace
II. Largo Ma Non Tanto
III. Allegro

Tracks:

Rhapsody No. 2 (Lassu [Moderato] - Friss [Allegro Moderato])
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andante Tranquillo
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante
I. Allegretto (Scherzando)
II. Allegro
II. Adagio

Tracks:

Romance No. 1 In G Major
I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Larghetto
III. Rondo (Allegro) (Cadenza: Kreisler)
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Finale (Allegro Energico)

Tracks:

Romance No. 2 In F Major, Op. 50
I. Allegro Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace - Poco Piu Presto
I. Allegro Molto Appassionato
II. Andante
III. Allegretto Non Troppo - Allegro Molto Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante Tranquillo
II. Presto Capriccioso Alla Napolitana & Trio (Canzonetta)
III. Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato (Cadenza: Menuhin)
II. Adagio Molto
III. Finale (Presto) (Cadenza: Menuhin)
I. Allegro
II. Andante Cantabile
III. Rondo (Andante Grazioso - Allegro Ma Non Troppo)
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Andante
III. Presto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Scherzando (Allegro Molto)
III. Intermezzo (Allegretto Non Troppo)
IV. Andante
V. Rondo (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andantino Quasi Allegretto
III. Molto Moderato E Maestoso - Allegro Non Troppo
Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Havanaise, Op. 83

Tracks:

I. Allegro Maestoso (Cadenza: Emile Sauret)
II. Adagio Espressivo
III. Rondo (Allegro Spiritoso)
I. Andante - Moderato - Cadenza
II. Adagio Religioso
III. Scherzo (Vivace) & Trio
IV. Finale (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Cadenza
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

Serenade Melancolique
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio Di Molto
III. Allegro Ma Non Tanto
I. Praeludium (Largo)
I. Allegro Cavalleresco
II. Intermezzo (Poco Adagio)
II. Rondo (Allegretto Scherzando)

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Adagio
III. Presto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Vivace - Allegro - Adagio - Vivace - Allegro - Largo Andante
II. Allegro
III. Grave - Andante Largo - Allegro
Fantasia Concertante On A Theme Of Corelli

Customer Reviews:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations.......2004-01-06

The recent trend toward classical box sets focusing on the performer instead of the composer (see my reviews of the various DG/Decca "Original Masters" sets) continues with EMI's new "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist." Sure EMI's past sets have showcased individual performances by Samson Francois, Eugen Jochum and Rudolf Kempe to name a few, but it was always under the heading of a given composer's works, and in the cases mentioned above, to Chopin's piano pieces, Bruckner's Symphonies and Strauss' Orchestral Works respectively. Therefore, this Menuhin collection is the first of EMI's "Budget Box Sets" to showcase a performer playing the works of a variety of composers.

As Menuhin was an EMI recording artist for an incredible 68 years (1931-99), his performances for the label number in the hundreds. With so much music from which to choose, this 10-disc set aims "to highlight some of those alternative versions, including recordings that have not been easily available since the days of LP and others that have never previously appeared on CD." Therefore, the obvious mainstream, easily attainable recordings are omitted here -- for example, the Beethoven/Mendelssohn VCs with Furtwangler, the Elgar VC with the composer conducting, and the Bruch/Mendelssohn VCs with Susskind and Kurtz.

However, a lot of this material has been on disc before on titles which the serious collector most likely already owns. Most of the Bach is currently available as part of the Bach "Budget Box Series" title. The Bruch, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Vivaldi VCs were all available in the now out-of-print 2CD EMI Seraphim series. The Elgar and the Walton are still available in the "British Composers" series. And perhaps most annoyingly, the previously unpublished Beethoven VC and Tchaikovsky "Serenade melancolique" (available as a single disc), and the Beethoven Romance No. 2 (available on an EMI Encore title) were both reissued just a few months back.

But let's focus on the positive, which are the other rare performances, the most significant being the never before reissued 1954 performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 with John Pritchard and the Philharmonia. Other elusive recordings include Viuextemps and Paganini VCs with Fistoulari, Lalo and Saint-Saens works with Goossens, and excellent Berg and Bartok accounts with Boulez. Though I'm delighted at their inclusion, of lesser importance is a 1965 Bartok VC No. 2 with Dorati -- his mono EMI with Furtwangler and an earlier account with Dorati on Mercury Living Presence are far superior. Also, neither the Sibelius (Boult, 1955) nor Nielsen (Woldike, 1952) Concertos are truly Menuhin's cups of tea.

My last complaint has to do with the packaging. I know I'm being rather trite but it seems that EMI has taken the "slim" out of slim, paper-sleeved box sets with their latest batch of releases. Both this title and the new box of Liszt Orchestral Works by Masur are noticeably thicker than previous EMI sets featuring a similar number of discs. A minor point, but us serious classical collectors need every centimeter of space on our increasingly crowded CD shelves, not to mention the amount of wasted packaging.

Overall though, despite the fact that "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist" is not as essential a reissue as its counterparts in the "Original Masters" series, it is a delightful set that most collectors will thoroughly enjoy.

Average customer rating:

A long overdue collection by one of the English masters of the clarinet.
Great Collection

The Complete American Decca Recordings

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009ONYPA
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondo. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Larghetto
III. Menuetto-Trio I/II
IV. Allegretto Con Variazioni I-IV/Adagio-Allegro
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I. Allegro Maestoso
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II. Adagio - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
III. Tema. 'Pria Ch'Io L'Impegno'. Allegretto-Allegro - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
I. Andante - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
II. Menuetto - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
III. Rondeaux. Allegretto - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
I. Zart Und Mit Ausdruck
II. Lebhaft, Leicht-Coda: Nach Und Nach Ruhiger
III. Rasch Und Mit Feuer-Coda-Schneller

Tracks:

I. Allegro Con Fuoco
II. Andante Con Moto
III. Rondo. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Andantino-Presto Non Assai, Ma Con Sentimento
IV. Con Moto-Un Poco Meno Mosso
I. Allegro - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
II. Adagio - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
III. Andantino Grazioso - Mieczyslaw Horszowski
IV. Allegro - Mieczyslaw Horszowski

Tracks:

I. Allegro Appassionato
II. Andante, Un Poco Adagio
III. Allegretto Grazioso
IV. Vivace
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III. Andante Con Moto-Allegro
I. Allegretto - Brooks Smith
II. Allegro Animato - Brooks Smith
III. Lento - Brooks Smith
IV. Molto Allegro - Brooks Smith
I. Improvisation: Tempo Rubato-Espressivo - Brooks Smith
II. Modal Blues: Tempo Di Blues - Brooks Smith
III. In Rhythm: Moderato - Brooks Smith
I. Allegro Non Troppo - Brooks Smith
II. Larghetto - Brooks Smith
III. Allegro - Brooks Smith

Tracks:

Premiere Rhapsodie For Clarinet And Piano
I. Massig Bewegt
II. Lebhaft
III. Sehr Langsam
V. Kleines Rondo, Gemachlich
I. Sempre Piano E Molto Tranquillo
II. MM=168
III. MM=160
I. Verbunkos (Recruiting Dance). Moderato, Ben Ritmato
II. Piheno (Relaxation). Lento
III. Sebes (Fast Dance). Allegro
La Plus Que Lente
La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin
Reverie
Le Petit Berger
Ecstasy
The Pied Piper
Blue Haze
Dance Of The Three Old Maids

Tracks:

I. Ouverture. Vif Et Gai
II. Divertissement. Anime
III. Jeu. Vif
IV. Introduction Et Final. Modere-Vif
I. Adagio 'Lovely On The Water - Brooks Smith
II. Andante Sostenuto 'Spurn Point' - Brooks Smith
III. Larghetto 'Van Dieman's Land' - Brooks Smith
IV. Lento 'She Borrowed Some Of Her Mother's Gold' - Brooks Smith
V. Andante Tranquillo 'The Lady And The Dragon' - Brooks Smith
VI. Allegro Vivace 'As I Walked Over London Bridge' - Brooks Smith
Siciliana And Gigue
Adagio
Allegro
Giga
Rondino Uber Ein Thema Von Beethoven
Piece En Forme De Habanera
Petite Piece
Roundelay
Berceuse
Jamaican Rumba - Brooks Smith
Caprice Viennoois Op.2
Liebesleid
Liebesfreud
Stars In My Eyes
Schon Rosmarin

Customer Reviews:

A long overdue collection by one of the English masters of the clarinet........2007-01-05

The Yorkshireman Reg Kell became famous for using vibrato in the classical world when it was unfashionable. He used it tastefully, and other artists such as Jack Brymer and Emma Johnson have continued to use it. He also had a series of tutorials with Benny Goodman (for Goodman's benefit) which led to Goodman changing his embouchure from the upper teeth on mouthpiece to the upper lip - as well as lower, -on mouthpiece, which perhaps in Goodmans's case was not a good move, as he had it right the first time!.

However these recordings originally came out a very long time ago in the early days of vinyl, and a re-issue is long overdue. Kell's excursion in to light music is interesting, though he stops well short of anything resembling jazz, although he had earlier recorded one record with Bert Ambrose's band in the 1940 which was the nearest he got, - but that is not included here. His main forte is in the works of Mozart, Weber, Beethoven and Brahms, but he also plays Bartok and Templeton. It shows what an accomplished performer he was. All were recorded after he left the UK to live and play in America.

This set shows his rightful place as a performer in the history of clarinet playing. He had raised the standard of the time, and had the benefits of improved recording techniques and length of play boudaries were removed with the LP record.

Great Collection.......2006-07-30

My only negative comment is that he rushes some of the runs; everything else is great!

Béla Bartók: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra / Peter Eötvös: Replica / György Kurtág: Movement for Viola & Orchestra - Kim Kashkashian

Average customer rating:

you can never argue with great playing,
A Worthy Viola Triptych: Bartók, Eötvös, and Kurtág
Just Amazing!
Good performances of mostly minor Hungarian music
Kashkashian Conquers Hungary

Béla Bartók: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra / Peter Eötvös: Replica / György Kurtág: Movement for Viola & Orchestra - Kim Kashkashian
Bela Bartok , Peter Eotvos , Gyorgy Kurtag , Kim Kashkashian , and Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hindemith: Sonatas for viola/piano & viola alone
Brahms: Sonatas for Viola and Piano / Kashkashian, Levin
Romances & Elegies for Viola & Piano
Schubert: Sonata In A/Schumann: Märchenbilder/Adagio & Allegro/Bruch: Kol Nidrei/Enesco: Konzertstücke
Bruch: Double Concerto, Walton: Viola Concerto

ASIN: B00004T3XF
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Concerto For Violo And Orchestra: Moderato
Concerto For Violo And Orchestra: Adagio religioso - Allegretto
Concerto For Violo And Orchestra: Allegro vivace
For Viola And Orchestra: Replica
Movement For Viola And Orchestra

Amazon.com

Kim Kashkashian's interpretation of three Hungarian composers' works for viola is peerless. The viola is a perplexing, complex instrument that always seems out of time, almost out of place with the modern repertory. But the melancholy and directness of the instrument, especially in the hands of such an accomplished performer as Kashkashian, make for a listening experience that is profoundly contemporary. Bartók's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra was one of the last pieces the composer wrote. In a sense unfinished, fragmentary (Paul Griffiths, in his liner notes, says the piece is "partial, imminent, not yet arrived"), the work is balanced by Eötvös's Replica, written especially for Kashkashian and recorded here for the first time. Kurtág's Movement, his graduation exercise presented to the Liszt Academy in Budapest in 1954, has a clear Bartókian hue, but also shows the influence of Brahms and Haydn. While it is a youthful work, it is no minor piece and, especially in the context of Kurtág's usual miniatures, is a fascinating listening experience. Eötvös shows himself to be a wonderful director, drawing from Kashkashian a precision and subtlety that the masculine viola sometimes lacks, while encouraging the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra to support the fullest exploration of the pieces in hand. This is a remarkable, beautiful, and haunting recording. --Mark Thwaite

Customer Reviews:

you can never argue with great playing,.......2007-07-01

The references here(other reviewers) to minor works, minor as compared to what or who?? The opaque Question,the Big Unknown.

This is all great music,(even though I disliked marginally the Kurtag). All the music here sensitively played and interpreted with imagination. With Peter Eotvos you have one of the most gifted(aggressive) musical visions,technicians, a man of passion as well. All the categories for egocentric analysis is here clarity,relevance,precision, depth; the ensemble balance he brings from the Netherlands Radio Orchestra is astounding. We merely think this level of interpretation is a norm now these performances,with students of Pierre Boulez (as Eotvos) but Eotvos,recall; all the experience he has under-his-belt now with contemporary repertoire.He lends another vision to the Bartok,one I had not heard. He scales down the obvious,the folk gestures are subdued in place of the fascination with the timbre of the work, the modernity of the score is affirmed. The Viola is unencumbered throughout,and I suspect the incompletedness of the work gave it more clarity,and more modern interest,so it is sketchlike,perhpas unfinsished ideas not allowed to develop; let's not be naive, Bartok had good days and bad, and he was losing creative focus in his latter concerti, like the "Third Piano Concerto" is a waste of time.Now living in poverty outside New York City in an old wooden shak,he was demorilized.
I suspect all serious Violists marvel at the fact that they have this work, It is a high point in the literature.In Searly's completion,you barely suspect any dramatic differences,or how the work should have been, could have been, Bartok's aesthetic is fairly predictable, he had his creative "comfort zones" that he frequently visited. We all know the aesthetic strategies at work ad infinitum, ad nauseaum at times.

The star Violist here Kim Kashkashian equals Eotvos in vision and clarity. She never allows the obvious gestures of the score to take hold of the discourse of the music, and her vision remains firm well into the piece.She plays on the darker side, the Violoncello side of the viola timbre, something I prefer, you may not. This richness is captivating,it has a longevity; you can listen for hours to this tone.

The Eotvos "Replica" is a fairly interesting piece. We really cannot get hold of his creativity;if you have followed his career, Eotvos many times looses focus.Perhaps the life of writing strictly under commission sets this "factory" quality to works,"works on demand", and "ordered" music for occasions. He was quite devoted to the popular strains in the avant-garde,with electronics as his fascinating and powerful "Chinese Opera" and "Intervalles. . ". But his Hungarian,pre-IRCAM experiences in jazz and writings countless filmscores reveals his DNA in music should we say. Eotvos is direct,sometimes uninterestingly so; he has an affinity and a nurturing quality to communicate by any means necessary, and his music is best when direct as here, the overwhelming warm lyricism,in "Replica"(materials from his successful opera :Three Sisters: you can warm your hands to it, like by a roaring log cabin fire.There are modern timbres here, the high pencil-thin harmonics reminds one of electronic timbres,cold abstracted, frozen. The orchestral moments simply embellish, and punctuate the viola, adding no real materials of their own, more like mists, setting the contexts, for the Viola to proclaim its anxiety ridden questions. There are darknesses here,perhaps the rustic life,the basics, the peasnat ways and lifeworlds informs all of this music.

Less so the Kurtag, this is not too interesting Kurtag. His orchestrations are hit-or-miss. He has better vision for smaller situations and musical structures, as his string quartet music,"The 12 Microludes" or his vocal music, and chamber settings with mixed instruments.
He lets his imagination find new contexts, and places few would go.Like his pieces using single and mixed solo-like gestures, and voice. Here in "Movement", the Viola struggles unconvincingly; to me anyway. You may find the affair fascinating.But Kurtag likes the soloists the role to comment, and with gestiral digressions from the solo materials,the solo voice.There is also an uninteresting neo-romantic strain here, and you need to know your materials when you venture into utilization of these well-trodden accessible lifeworlds. Penderecki,Dusapin and Rihm know this route, this well-known trajectory of the common, and knows its dangers. Kurtag writes as if the avant-garde never happened,rather than being informed by it; cloistered in the woods,looking at those "comfort zones" of times gone, never to return. Leave the 19th century alone, it has produced what we all have lived by,no need to return. So the musical structures can become off-balanced forsaking the overall drama of the work. He then thinks he needs to refill-re-populate these dramatic sections with large loud moments somewhat arbitrary in placement; to encompass or overwhelm the poor solo Viola. The Viola yes is reduced to single plaintive tremoli, as if its voice is reduced, now dilute, shell-shocked from violence. The length of Eleven minutes Fifty-three Seconds seem much longer than this. some editing should have been put eraser to music, as Stravinsky said, music is really written "aven le gum". The orchestration is then really not all that interesting, this from a composer who is known for his trimbral sensitivity. The timbres here seem one-dimensional large. But there is heartfelt play in the Viola, it trys to re-assert itself against the seeming "tyranny" of the orchestra. Kurtag is moving when he evokes the intimate, the introspective elements, the deeply subjective, and here this comes in the final moments of the work. Perhaps the context is well worth the time expended.

A Worthy Viola Triptych: Bartók, Eötvös, and Kurtág.......2006-12-13

Among solo violists today surely Kim Kashkashian, Brett Dean and Yuri Bashmet are among the finest. This peerless CD features Kim Kashkashian in performances of works not usually in her repertoire but that here give notice that they certainly should be.

The unfinished Bartók Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (here in the completed version by Tibor Serly) is fragmentary but the fragments he left us are glowingly handsome. Thoughts from his previous works echo through the orchestral accompaniment and the melodic and rhythmic lines are echt Bartók. Kashkashian's agile technique and deeply sonorous tonal color advance the importance of this work.

Yet it is in the other works included on this fine CD that Ms. Kashkashian shines especially bright. The 'Replica for viola & orchestra', composed for Kashkashian by Peter Eötvös is a brief but fascinating work and one that stirs enough interest to hear other works by this composer. The remaining work is 'Movement for viola & orchestra' by the increasingly thrilling and imaginative composer Gyorgy Kurtág, a work from his early days of composition but one with hints of his reverence for classicism as well as brevity. Kashkashian plays them with careful attention to detail as well as with the colors inherent in these works from the heritage of Hungarian music. Peter Eötvös conducts the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra with superb control and collaboration with his soloist. This is a fascinating triad of works and a welcome addition to the recorded viola library. Recommended. Grady Harp, December 06

Just Amazing!.......2004-02-27

Kim Kashkashian's recording of the Bartok Viola Concerto is the best I have heard. It helped me when getting a sense of the piece before I started working on it. The Replica, and The Movement for Viola and Orchestra where two piece I had never heard of before now I enjoy them, and can't wait to play them!!!

-Jon

Good performances of mostly minor Hungarian music.......2004-01-07

This disc features the violist Kim Kashkashian playing three works for viola and orchestra by 20th century Hungarian composers, accompanied by the impressive Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra under the direction of the excellent Peter Eötvös. All are comparatively minor works and come from various parts of their composers' careers, Bartók's concerto was incomplete at his death, Eötvös' Replica is a product of his mature style, while Kurtág's Movement is an early piece written for his graduation exam.

At Bartók's death, his Viola Concerto was barely more than sketched out in draft, and it took the composer's pupil Tibor Serly four years to produce a performing version. The work was originally envisioned in four movements but ended up with three--a large-scale Moderato followed by a short slow movement and a brief finale. Of these, only the first movement--ruminative and melodic, like a more conservative sibling to the Second Violin Concerto--feels anywhere close to a finished product, though even here the fragmentary nature of the sketches forced Serly to reuse ideas and material from other, earlier works. The short slow movement is weak: sketchy and underdeveloped, it is in a similar A-B-A form to that of the Third Piano Concerto and this may be why Serly borrowed the tempo indication Adagio religioso from that work. Just as disappointing is the finale, a dance-like movement that--at least to me--feels more like a first draft than a final product. Despite the excellent, committed performance here, I find it hard to treat this work as more than a curiosity: if the composer had lived the music's final form would surely have been far different, and much more convincing.

Things look up with Eötvös' Replica, a 1997 commission from La Scala, Milan for Kashkashian to play. A postscript to the composer's Chekhov opera, Three Sisters, it relates musically to that work but stands just as well on its own. The work is in the form of an aria for the soloist, who plays long, chromatic melodies throughout the work. A spatially divided orchestra (the play with unconventional orchestral formations is very typical of the composer) surrounds the soloist with a harmonic haze and brief aggressive interjections--somewhat as in the later concertante works of Luciano Berio--while the beginning and end of the work are marked by a haze of sound from the string players playing maracas. This is, by some way, the strongest work on the disc, and in this fine performance reminds one that Eötvös is increasingly becoming the obvious heir to Pierre Boulez's composer-conductor throne.

After Eötvös' work, the cautiously Bartókian language of György Kurt'g's lyrical Movement for Viola and Orchestra may come as a surprise. This work is the first of two movements of a concerto written for his graduation (the composer now prefers to suppress the second movement). In its lyrical flow, late-Romantic tension and subtly shaded orchestral accompaniment, it all too clearly shows up the lack of conviction in Bartók's own concerto. While nothing remotely like any of Kurtág's mature miniatures (astonishingly, the String Quartet was only a few years away, but it is a different world entirely), this is an interesting document of a path not taken.

With largely minor works and a playing time of 50 minutes, this disc is not really an essential purchase. Nonetheless, given the exceptionally fine performances--the Bartók is the best I've heard, and I've seen no rival recordings of the other two works--it can be given a cautious recommendation to those interested by the coupling.

Kashkashian Conquers Hungary.......2000-06-20

Another fabulous disc from Kim Kashkashian, in Hungarian music for viola and orchestra. Kashkashian produces a dark, haunting tone that fits each work perfectly, and Peter Eotvos and the Dutch orchestra inhabit a complementary sound world, and the recording is up to the usual ECM standards (wide dynamic range, transparent orchestral texture, slight spotlight on the soloist). The Bartok concerto, admirably 'prepared' by Tibor Serly, is, in my opinion, the weakest on the disc. There are, as typical in Bartok, beautiful, rustic melodies in the same rhetoric as the 3rd piano concerto. This would have been an amazing piece had Bartok finished it. Serly did what he could, but we are still left with, as Paul Griffiths says in his excellent liner notes, "a world only partly defined." Eotvos' piece is very strong. The arrangement of the orchestra would perhaps be more apparante aurally in a live performance, but in certain instances (the last few minutes of the work, for example), the spatial ideas come across nicely. Overall, the work's sound world is very convincing , the orchestration unique and involving, and the performance riveting. The Kurtag work, from his student days (no date of composition is given in the liner notes) is very Bartokian, and, having listened to it first before reading the liner notes, I was worried that this master composer had suffered from a severe bout of Pendereckitis (reverting to conservative, proto-Brahms modernism). The piece definitely contrasts all other Kurtag that I know (the song cycles, double concerto, Jatekok, etc), and is on a much larger scale than all those. A 12 minute work now would be a 'grand gesture' from this miniaturist, but with such lyrical melodies and more traditional harmonic language, the material fills the form to a T, and the overall shape of the work is gorgeous. The long lines for the solo viola are tastefully shaped by Kashkashian, and the accompaniment (and the orchestra does provide, for the most part, just that) is wonderfully shaded. Overall, an excellent disc.

Average customer rating:

Worth every penny
The Definitive Bartók - almost

Bartok: Complete Edition

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hungarian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004YLIJ
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Customer Reviews:

Worth every penny.......2003-02-24

First, my background in the past 5 years, is 1950's
jazz (Ellington, Monk, Mingus, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy)
coupled with Jean Luc Ponty, and some 1970's rock like
Frank Zappa (who has a Bartok number of his album
Make a Jazz Noise Here, I believe), and Igor Stravinsky's
lunch box collection, of about 30 CD'sm and Purcell's
boxset, interpreting English Aristocracy numbers.

Secondly, I was familiar with many releases of Bartok
such as on PHILIPS label, and others ... which were

excellent. I just decided to take the plunge, and
congratulate the composer, Bela Bartok for his work,
and technology, musicians, recording specialists
and HUNGAROTON for taking the time to re-release this
on CD's. There was no question the efforts of all
those people, needed rewarding.

Third, the sound is fantastic and sensational (excuse
my excess verbiage)... there's great 3D sound on
my Logitec 5 Piece sound system, incl. the heavy bass
speaker, that ppl can get for $..., for example.

Next, the interpretations ... no disappointments
anywhere, so far, so good. The classic works, such
as the Concerto, or 3 piano pieces, on PHILIPS already,
were very similar. However, the chamber works were
very strong on this Bartok Edition...in fact, the sound
and performances are consistently excellent, as well
as the quality of the instrument (violin) in question...
the actual sound heard from it, suggest quality, quality
and quality.

Therefore, although I've heard maybe 20 percent of
the Edition (30 Cd's approx) so far, it's without question,
a staple edition, next to my Stravinsky lunch box and
my Purcell edition as well, although the latter I tend
to play a lot less frequently than most music.

I recommend this set, without question, to everyone
who can handle the purchase price! If you have family,
friends or need to cool down, relax, reduce the cardiac
blockages, stress level or need some time away from
television, this is the perfect gift.

The Definitive Bartók - almost.......2002-10-19

This set features every single (known) composition by the great Hungarian master Béla Bartók. From the orchestral works and the choral works to the piano works and the chamber works: Everything is here, including very rare works never before recorded. < Although there are certainly superior performances of singular works, the set, as a whole, is very near a definitive presentation of Bartók's output. Another bonus is that, as far as I can tell, all of the music is performed by Hungarian orchestras and musicians, so you'll get a very authentic Hungarian 'sound'. Especially good is the choral works and piano works, I think. The set also comes with extensive liner notes to each work, and texts to all of the choral works.

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 35: 1. Allegro moderato
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 35: 2. Canzonetta. Andante
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 35: 3. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo
Violin Concerto In D Minor, Op. 47: 1. Allegro moderato
Violin Concerto In D Minor, Op. 47: 2. Adagio di molto
Violin Concerto In D Minor, Op. 47: 3. Allegro, ma non troppo
Two Humoresques For Violin And Orchestra op. 87: No. 1 In D Minor
Two Humoresques For Violin And Orchestra op. 87: No. 2 In D Major

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77: 1. Allegro non troppo
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77: 2. Adagio
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77: 3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace - Poco piu presto
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 53: 1. Allegro ma non troppo
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 53: 2. Adagio ma non troppo
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 53: 3. Finale. Allegro gioicoso, ma non troppo

Tracks:

Ciacona In G Minor
Orfeo ed Euridice: Melody
Widmung, Op. 25 No. 1
Romance In A Major Op. 94 No. 2
Hungarian Dance No. 8 in A Minor - Presto
Hungarian Dance No. 9 in E Minor - Allegro ma non troppo
Hungarian Dance No. 20 in D Minor - Allegretto - Vivace
Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor - Allegro - Vivace
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: El pano moruno
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Nana. Berceuse
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Cancion
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Polo
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Asturiana
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Jota
Six Songs: Love Song, No. 6
Danzas espanolas op. 37: Andaluza No. 5
Suite Bergamasque: Passepied
Beau Soir
Raymonda op. 57: Entr' acte
Daisies, op. 38 No. 3
Vocalise op. 34 No. 14

Tracks:

Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100: 1. Allegro amabile
Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100: 2. Andante tranquillo - Vivace - Andante - Vivace di piu - Andante - Vivace
Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100: Allegro grazioso (quasi Andante)
Violin Sonata No. 3 op. 108: 1. Allegro
Violin Sonata No. 3 op. 108: 2. Adagio
Violin Sonata No. 3 op. 108: 3. Un poco presto e con sentimento
Violin Sonata No. 3 op. 108: 4. Presto agitato
Violin Sonata In A Major: 1. Allegretto ben moderato
Violin Sonata In A Major: 2. Allegro
Violin Sonata In A Major: 3. Recitativo - Fantasia. Ben moderato
Violin Sonata In A Major: 4. Allegretto poco mosso

Tracks:

Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz. 75: 1. Allegro appassionato
Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz. 75: 2. Adagio
Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz. 75: 3. Allegro
Violin Sonata op. 134: 1. Andante
Violin Sonata op. 134: 2. Allegretto
Violin Sonata op. 134: 3. Largo

Customer Reviews:

It Would Be Worth Every Cent Just for the Brahms Sonatas.......2006-12-19

This is probably my favorite boxed set of anything, ever. Each disc has its own merits but the Brahms and Franck are passionate and sublime, the Bartok is everything you want your Bartok to be, and of course the Tchaikovsky is without comparison. Long live King David!

Essential Oistrakh.......2002-01-10

A mandatory purchase (at a bargain price!) for all violin lovers- it contains some of Oistrakh's greatest recorded performances, including mind-boggling performances of the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Brahms and and Dvorak concerti as well as the famous sonata recordings with Richter. Please, BMG, could we have more such treasures from Melodiya's legendary vaults?

Fantastic.......2000-07-31

Perhaps the great accomplishment in playing an instrument is to play it naturally, as if it were like breathing. Few artists prove this point as well as Oistrakh, the Soviet Union's artist, a true symbol of the Russian's school of music's excellence. As some other reviewer said, this is a moment of true musical orgasm. As an aspiring violinist, hearing Oistrakh's effortless rendition of the Tchaikovsky brings one almost to tears before such greatness. Some may complain about his dated method, but I favor it above any other artist, and highly recommend his interpretation of both the Brahms and the Tchaikovsky. Considering the fact that people didn't walk out of his performance of the pieces while a bombing raid was going on (during WWII), the man's musical prowess is second to none. Of special attention is the Brahms Sonata in A Major with Richter, easily one of the purest performances of the piece.

A wondeful collection.......2000-07-01

David Oistrakh has arguably the best pure tone of all who have ever played the violin--bar none.

Oistrakh (and Richter) Triumphant!.......2000-02-07

Reviewer David Mednicoff is exactly right about this set. All the concerto performances are terrific, but the two discs of sonatas (Brahms #2 & 3; Frank; Shostakovich [the live world premiere] and Bartok) with Richter are really something else. Amazing.

Ancerl Gold Edition 26: BARTOK Concerto for Orchestra; Viola Concerto

Average customer rating:

More Golden Ancerl

Ancerl Gold Edition 26: BARTOK Concerto for Orchestra; Viola Concerto

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00022XNUA
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Customer Reviews:

More Golden Ancerl.......2005-11-24

The Supraphon label has been doing an excellent job of reissuing large parts of their back catalog over the last few years. Not only are they releasing numerous performances with the Czech Philharmonic and visiting conductors like Kletzki and Matacic (see my reviews), but they have also remastered (in 24/96) many of the recordings of conductor Karel Ancerl in a new series called the "Gold Edition." Volume 26 of this series features Ancerl and the Czech PO performing Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Viola Concerto, with soloist Jaroslav Karlovsky, in stereo recordings from the early 1960s. Ancerl was best known for the music of his native country, but he also shined in showcasing the works of 20th Century composers. I own more than a dozen accounts of the Concerto for Orchestra, and Ancerl's performance is very good, but it definitely takes a backseat to celebrated renditions by Reiner, Bernstein and Dorati. On the other hand, this was my first experience with the wonderful Viola Concerto, which was completed by Bartok's pupil Tibor Serly shortly after the composer's death. With quality discs such as this, I look forward to purchasing (and reviewing) more titles from the "Gold Edition."